The present invention relates to a method of installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan, a heater installation kit, and an oil pan heater insert. More particularly the present invention relates to a method of installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, a kit for installing an oil pan heater while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, and an oil heater insert for installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, and an oil heater insert for installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block.
The installation of an oil pan heater on an oil pan is known. However the general practice is to drain the oil from the oil pan, remove the oil pan from the engine block, and then drill a hole in the engine oil pan, thread the hole or weld a threaded insert to the hole with the threaded hole or threaded insert being sized to receive a oil pan heater. Then the interior of the oil pan had to be thoroughly cleaned so that there would be no debris that would contaminate the oil that would be in the oil pan when it was mounted on the engine block. This procedure took several hours and generally required the vehicle to be tied up for an entire day. The removal of the oil pan was necessary to prevent metal particles from the drilling to remain in the oil pan. Such particles would contaminate the oil and cause extensive damage to the engine. Therefor there is a need for the present invention which allows an oil heater to be mounted on an oil pan while the oil pan is pan is mounted on the engine block and which procedure will not contaminate the oil which collects and is maintained in the oil pan.
This invention is directed towards the method of installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, a kit for installing an oil pan heater while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, and an oil heater bushing for installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method of installing a heater on a vehicle engine oil pan that is mounted on a vehicle engine by draining oil from the engine oil pan, piercing the engine oil pan to provide a pilot hole having pierced ends extending into the engine oil pan, scoring a circular chamfered groove surrounding the pilot hole so as to provide an oil pan thickness at a base of the chamfered groove of less than about 10 mils, inserting a puller into the oil pan through the pilot hole to engage an internal portion of the oil pan surrounding the pilot hole, pulling to extract a circular slug from the oil pan and forming a substantially circular hole in the oil pan, inserting an expandable heater bushing in the substantially circular hole, the heater bushing having an expandable tubular section extending from an enlarged head, crimping the tubular section and sealing the enlarged head to the oil pan, and attaching an oil pan heater to the enlarged head.
It is another object of the invention to provide a vehicle engine oil pan heater installation kit for installing an oil pan heater on an engine mounted on an engine block, having an engine oil pan piercing tool having an oil pan punch to punch a pilot hole in a vehicle engine oil pan; means to provide a circular scoring on the engine oil pan surrounding the pilot hole; a slug puller having means to remove a circular slug from a vehicle engine oil pan to provide a heater bushing hole in the vehicle engine oil pan sized to accept an oil pan heater bushing; the oil pan heater bushing having an enlarged head, the enlarged head having a hole therethrough which is threaded and sized to sealingly receive and hold an oil pan heater, an expandable tubular section extending from the enlarged head and adapted to fit through the heater bushing hole, the tubular section having a first end extending from the enlarged head and a distal second end, a passageway concentric with the heater bushing hole, an internal smooth wall extending from the enlarged head a predetermined distance, annular internal threads extending from the internal smooth wall to the distal second end, the tubular section having a crimper to crimp at the smooth wall section when a crimp bolt is threaded into the tubular annular threaded section, and the crimp bolt sized to pass through the enlarged head and be threaded into the tubular section cause the tubular section to crimp and the oil pan heater bushing to sealing engage the interior and exterior of the vehicle engine oil pan.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an engine oil pan piercing tool having an air chisel shank, a first shoulder at one end of the chisel shank, a second shank extending from the first shoulder to a second shoulder, a punch retainer extending from the second shoulder to a punch retaining end, a compression spring surrounding a portion of the cylindrical retainer the one end contacting the second shoulder and the other end of the spring contacting a scatter shield, the scatter shield being mounted on the piercing tool retainer to move axially relative to the piercing tool retainer wherein the compression spring in the normal position positions the scatter shield to surround a pointed end of a punch mounted in the punch retainer and when in the piercing position to be compressed and exposed the punch pointed end and piecing sections;
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle engine oil pan heater bushing having an enlarged head, the head having a hole therethrough which is threaded and sized to sealingly receive and hold an oil pan heater, an expandable tubular section extending from the enlarged head and adapted to fit through an engine oil pan heater bushing hole, a non-expandable tubular section extending from the expandable tubular section to a distal end, an expandable tubular section having an internal smooth wall section extending from the enlarged head a predetermined distance, annular internal thread section extending inward from a distal end for a predetermined distance, crimp means permit the expandable tubular section to crimp at the smooth wall section when a draw bolt is threaded into the tubular section, an annular o-ring groove formed in the underside of the enlarged head, the annular groove being sized to hold an o-ring, the enlarged head and annular groove o-ring being sized to surround the heater bushing hole and contact an external surface of the oil pan when the tubular section is placed into the oil pan through the heater bushing hole.
The present invention can be further understood with reference to the following description in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals.